June 9th, 2024

Melanie Martinez played a sold out show at the Scotiabank Arena in Downtown Toronto this past weekend, and wow…. It was magical to say the least. She was accompanied by openers Sofia Isella and Beach Bunny for the Toronto date, and they were both amazing acts! I had the most incredible opportunity to photograph some of the show as well as attend the concert. Melanie Martinez is very dedicated to her art and music, as well as telling a story with it. Her three albums, – Crybaby, K-12, and Portals – all tell the story of her character Crybaby as she grows up and experiences life, and.. death! All her work is accompanied by incredible and colourful visuals that I think really complete the story she tells through her music!

Before the show even began, walking around the train station by the venue and even outside the arena was so awesome. Pretty much every single person I saw was dressed up to match with one of Melanie’s three albums she has released, and people went all out! I had never seen anything like it! There were people in replicas of outfits Melanie has worn, to outfits inspired by different album artwork. I really applaud her fanbase for going the extra mile to make the atmosphere feel so bright and welcoming.

Sofia Isella was the first opener of the night and from what I saw of her set she had a cool and moody vibe to start. Her voice was great, and I really enjoyed watching her move around the stage, everything she did felt so intentional, and it made me not want to take my eyes off her! She ended up pulling out a violin and playing during one of her songs, which had my jaw on the floor. Sofia had such incredible stage presence, I can say with full confidence, she is a star. I cannot wait to see more from her and hopefully she makes a trip back to Toronto sometime soon!

The second opener was the band Beach Bunny, which consisted of five members. They came on stage ready to go. They immediately started into their first song and clearly, they were a fan favourite, they had a bunch of the crowd up and dancing and singing along! They were a bit more upbeat and pop-y sounding, very dance worthy music! I hadn’t realized I knew of their music until their second and third songs of the night were both ones, I knew the words to! They were a really fun band and I think they got the crowd all warmed up for Melanie to take the stage.

After what felt like a lot of waiting it was finally time for Melanie to take the stage!! Melanie’s team had asked us to photograph songs 7, 8, and 9, instead of the first three. I wasn’t surprised considering she did this as well when I took pictures at her Portals album tour. But, due to the fact we had songs 7, 8, 9, we had to wait off to the sides until it was time for us photographers to roll out and do our thing. I unfortunately didn’t get to see the songs 1-6 but even hearing them was great, Melanie’s voice sounded the best it’s ever been!

She had her set split into 3 sections, almost like one ‘act’ for each album. Each act had a different hair, makeup and outfit which was super cool. I got to my seat for the start of her K-12 album, she was already out in a whole new set of clothes and hair!! She played lots of songs from the K-12 album, and then at the end of her song ‘High School Sweethearts’, an arrow went right… through… her chest. The stage transformed into a graveyard, and she disappeared into the fog… only to emerge as the alien/fairy like creature from her third album Portals (the album depicted Crybaby dying and coming back as an otherworldly creature). She performed this act in a fully new costume, with the same 4 eyed creature mask she wore for her last tour. I saw the Portals tour last year and didn’t think it could get better, but it did. She not only met my expectations but exceeded them tremendously for this show.

Maybe its bias because I have loved Melanie Martinez and her music since the album Crybaby came out, but I think this was one of the best shows I have ever been to. You can tell so much care and thought is put into everything she does. Her sets were jaw dropping, truly so stunning and it made you feel as if you entered her world. Her backup dancers also add so much to the show, they highlight Melanie and compliment her on stage so well. Her band also never fails to impress me with how amazing they sound live. I was so surprised because it also was her first ever arena tour, and she has sold out so many dates, not just Toronto! Overall, I would say the show was magical and had such energy I have missed in concerts. Melanie Martinez deserves every bit of love she receives! If there is anyone wondering if they should get last minute tickets to see her….do it! You will not regret it!

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SETLIST:
Crybaby:
– Cry Baby
– Dollhouse
– Sippy Cup
– Carousel
– Alphabet Boy
– Soap
– Pity Party
– Play Date
– Mad Hatter
K-12:
– Wheels on the Bus
– Class Fight
– Show & Tell
– Nurse’s Office
– Strawberry Shortcake
– Lunchbox Friends
– Teacher’s Pet
– High School Sweethearts
Portals:
– DEATH
– VOID
– TUNNEL VISION
– FAERIE SOIREE
– LIGHT SHOWER
– SPIDER WEB
– BATTLE OF THE LARYNX
– THE CONTORTIONIST
– NYMPHOLOGY
– EVIL
– WOMB

All Photo Credit: Sarah Sharpe